Keys of Old

Keys Of Old by Heather Miller

Sold Year: 2013 Size: 11″ x 14″

Keys of Old was made using old keyboard keys, a rubber stamp, epoxy resin, and acrylic paint on canvas board.

The Story:

The Keys of Old is a pretty straightforward piece. I had a bunch of old keyboards lying around & decided to do something with them…..although, technically this is just one keyboard. I had numerous ideas about what to do with the keys but not the technical know-how to accomplish any of them. Out of frustration, I dumped a bunch of the keys onto a canvas board. Some of them formed a vague circular pattern which gave me the idea.

The biggest problem for this piece was finding something to fit the center. I actually wanted an old typewriter wheel but couldn’t find one (it would have been too big). After an extensive search of stores, the internet, and everywhere in between, I found my centerpiece. Technically it’s a clear rubber stamp pad that was part of a set. I painted the raised parts a metallic lime green.

Everything is adhered to the canvas board with epoxy resin. I had no plan for the surface to be shiny and textured like it is. I accidentally spilled some resin on the board, which is not something you can just wipe up. Rather than scrap the piece, I just committed to it and covered the whole thing in resin. My mistake turned into a happy accident because it really was an interesting effect.

The frame was kind a charmed find. Given the colors of the keys, the piece seemed to have a 1970s feel to it. The frame, to me at least, screams ‘wood paneling.’ Maybe because I grew up in a house with wood paneling in the basement. Or maybe because my current basement has a large amount of wood paneling from the 1970s. Whatever the case, that frame really works.